1. If you're no longer a newbie, and you've been doing some form of resistance training for more than 3 years, you might have to lose some fat first before getting into a bulk. Maybe get down to around 13-15%, and then aim for lean gains. Being skinny fat I would normally say a surplus though.. tell me this.. in your 3 years of training, did you ever have a good diet with a good surplus to build muscle? Or do you think that never happened and that's probably why you class yourself as skinny fat at the moment?

I know none of that is related to a program, but it will be helpful for figuring out what program would be best. You can probably hit Cheat & Recover if you're going into a bulk, but if you're going to cut first, then the PPL would be better with the circuits.

2. You can use the calculator on the @mealplan page to do calculations for a bulk or cut depending on which route you are going to take!

However, to your point I am debating should I cut to 13%-15% first before starting bulk?

Appreciate any advice!

OK awesome!

I think the best course would be to go into a cut first. While you might not gain muscle while cutting, you can probably maintain your strength, or even get stronger depending on the training you use. Cheat & Recover will definitely help you maintain or gain strength because of all the overloading.

It kind of depends what is most important to you right now.. is it bulking up and adding more muscle? Or would you rather get leaner first? I know you want both in the long-run with 10-12% bodyfat and gaining more muscle.. but because you're no longer in that newbie stage for resistance training, you probably have to choose one or the other right now.

And you'll likely have an easier time building muscle at a slightly lower body fat %, because (generally) testosterone levels tend to be a bit higher.

Skinny fat Training recommendation

Thank you so much for the clarity. I agree with you I will go into a cut first.

Should I start with PPL + circuits or Cheat & Recover + circuits? Any recommendation on circuits?

Thanks a lot again. You are awesome!

Go with PPL first for your cut, and use the circuits that are part of the program. Then once you're ready for a bulk, you'll be a bit more experienced in the weight training side of things and you can start using Cheat & Recover 😁